Using data from a sample of married men and women undergoing treatment for
cancer, we tested two potential hypotheses for the unequal representation o
f husbands and wives as spousal caregivers, including societal gender role
norms and emotional closeness in the marital relationship. Multivariate ana
lyses support both hypotheses; wives are only one third as likely as husban
ds to select their spouses as caregivers, and spouses who name their mates
as confidants are three times more likely than those who do not to also nam
e them as caregivers. We conclude that although gender role norms are key t
o caregiver selection, the intimacy inherent in the caregiving role renders
an emotionally close marriage an important criterion to the selection of s
pouse as caregiver.